


Neglected

by Tsukino_Akume



Series: Bright Skies AU [1]
Category: Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-23 20:29:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/626219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukino_Akume/pseuds/Tsukino_Akume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin isn't ready to forgive his friends, but Rocky's okay with that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Neglected

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer/:** If I owned them, there wouldn't need to be a hugs meme, because there'd already be hugging and displays of affection on the show.  
>  **Warnings/:** Moody Justin (somewhat OOC depending on your point of view), angst  
>  **Author's Notes/:** I wanted to start this meme with something a little fluffier, but I was working on Cataclysm when I came up with the idea, and the muses decided a few things needed to be addressed for the Bright Skies Universe. Because in My Little Corner of the Fandom(TM), Justin is a bitter, angsty teenager who got left behind no matter what universe I'm writing, and I wanted to work that into this particular universe.
> 
> This takes place on the Dark Fortress, or ‘Ranger Base’, after the end of Countdown to Destruction, but before the Astro Rangers have returned to Earth. Will make significantly make more sense if you’ve read Cataclysm, but it’s not required.

"Justin." 

He sighed as the teen refused to turn around. "Justin," he tried again. 

"What is it, Rocky?" Justin asked distantly, his attention focused on the console he was trying to rewire. 

"I want to talk to you." 

"So talk." 

Rocky reached up to rub his forehead, trying not to sigh. _I knew this was going to be hard when I started,_ he reminded himself. "I want to talk to your face, Justin, not your back." 

Justin's shoulders tensed briefly, and he finally spun around with an irritated expression. " ***What*** , Rocky?" he demanded. "I'm only here for a couple more hours until I have to sneak back into my room so my dad doesn't know I'm gone. What do you want?" 

Instead of answering, Rocky took a moment to study the thirteen-year-old. Despite the annoyed look on his face and the folded arms, Rocky could see the shadows under his eyes and the fact that he seemed thinner than he'd been the last time he'd talked to him, before Astronema's attack. Surprisingly Justin hadn't lost muscle mass; if anything, he looked even stronger than he'd been last year. But he wasn't well, and that much was obvious now that Rocky was taking the time to look for it. 

Justin rolled his eyes with an agitated sigh at the silence, moving to turn back to his work, but Rocky caught his arm. "I want to talk to you," Rocky said again, frowning at him. 

"So talk," Justin snapped. "Stop staring at me already." 

Rocky started to open his mouth and stopped. "I'm not sure what to say," he admitted finally. "I'm sorry just seems so ... pathetic. And making excuses isn't going to fix anything." 

There was an odd look in Justin's eyes. "Do me a favor," he said shortly. "Stay out of my head." 

Rocky sighed, running a hand over his hair as Justin turned back to the console again. "Look, I don't know why it happened," he tried. "The mind-reading thing, I mean. I know it didn't happen for anyone else, so we're thinking that maybe it's because we both used a Power from the Zeo Crystal. I didn't mean to read your mind anymore than you wanted to read mine. But we need to talk about this." 

"Talk about what?!" Justin shouted, whirling again to glare at him. There was some sort of tool in his hand Rocky couldn't have identified if he tried, and he eyed it warily as Justin brandished it at him angrily. "You keep saying you want to talk, but there's nothing to talk about! The time for talking was a year ago. Now ... now I just want to be left alone," he finished bitterly. 

"I can't do that," Rocky said quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat. _How did things get so messed up?_ he wondered guiltily. "I know I've been a lousy friend, Justin, and I could tell you how sorry I am over and over 'til I'm blue in the face." He paused as Justin rolled his eyes, wrestling with the urge to make a bad pun. "I could try and tell you how I figured you'd make new friends and it wouldn't matter that I wasn't around, or that I was busy, or even that it was just too hard to be around you when I wasn't a Ranger anymore," he said instead, and it hurt to admit because it was all true. "But none of that will make you feel any better, will it?" 

Justin looked away, and for the first time Rocky could see the glimmer of tears in his eyes. "You left," he said dully. "All of you left me behind. Just like my dad. Just like everyone always does." 

Rocky's heart broke for him, and he stepped forward to pull Justin into a hug before he stopped to think about what he was doing. Justin stiffened, and he lowered his arms to wrap around his shoulders in an effort to make him feel less trapped. "I'm sorry, Justin," he said softly. "I'm so, so sorry." 

There was a quiet sniffle. "I hate you," Justin choked out. "I hate you all of you so much." 

He sighed, rubbing a hand up and down Justin's arm as he pulled the teen tighter against his side. "I know," he murmured, fighting the urge to call him 'buddy' or 'kiddo' like he would have a year ago. Justin hadn't been a kid since the day he'd become a Ranger, no matter how much no one else wanted to admit it. He'd seen too much. 

Justin's hand came up to clench his shirt in a fist, and he turned slightly to bury his face against Rocky's chest. "I hate you so much," he repeated, shoulders shaking. 

Rocky squeezed him tighter, silently giving thanks. If Justin could still care enough to hate him, it wasn't too late to make it better. "I know," he said again. 

He closed his eyes as Justin started to sob quietly. _But you can't hate me as much as I hate myself right now._


End file.
